Alarm attachment for drip-pans.



J. T. WAN-IGER. ALARM ATTACHMENT FOR DRIP FANS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.19,1912.

Patented Oct. 15, 1912.

1N VEN TOR. T JuZ/us Z-"Mm'yer- BY ld WITNESSES.-

\ ATTORNEY.

JULIUS T. VVANIG-ER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

ALARM ATTACHMENT FOR BRIE-FANS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Fatented @ct. 153 ,1912.

Application filed February 19, 1812. Serial No. 678,460.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JULIUS T. VVANIGER, citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, tate of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Alarm Attachments for Drip-Pans, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention has relation to improvements in alarm-attachments for drip-pans for ice-boxes; and it consists in the novel details of construction more fully set forth in the specification and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a drip-pan, with parts broken away, showing my attachment applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a top plan of the attachment; and Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

The object of my invention is to provide the ordinary ice-box drip -pan with an alarm attachment which will automatically sound an alarm when the level of the water in the pan reaches the danger point, and thus prevent the possibility of the water running over onto the floor.

A further object is to provide an attachment which may be applied to any size of pan.

The advantages of the invention will be best apparent from a detailed description thereof which is as follows:

Referring to the drawings, 1? represents a conventional drip pan having the usual marginal bead or flange a. Preferably struck from a single sheet of resilient metal is a clasp having an outer central member or tongue 1, and inner side members 2, 2, of a curvature best adapted to pass over the wall of the pan, the member 1 terminating in. an inwardly deflected finger or lip 8, for engaging the outer face of the drip-pan wall (Fig. 1). The upper end of the sheet or blank is provided with a central recess 1" on each side of which the sheet has punched therefrom the loops 1, 4, for the reception of a hinge-pin 5 about the center of which is pivoted a lever 6 made of a thin pliable metal (or composition) strip, the long arm of said lever extending into the pan and having freely suspended at the end thereof a float 7 preferably of disk form and made of cork, wood, composition, or any light construction so as to float on the surface of the water W in the pan. The short arm of the lever 6 projects beyond the pan and engages a movable stud 8 identified with any conventional springactuated bell B not necessary to describe in detail as it is well known in the art. The bell is secured to the back of the member 1 by a spider or bracket 9 or in any convenient mechanical manner. In practice of course, the stud 8 might be a push-button or switch on an electric bell, the depression of which would close a circuit and ring the bell as well understood in the art.

As seen from the drawings, the lever 6 oscillates in a vertical plane, operating freely in the recess r of the plate from which the spring clasp 1, 2, 2, has been struck. The float 7 is here shown as freely suspended from the end of the long arm of the float lever 6, the stem of the screw 10 to which the float is secured operating loosely through the lever. By this free suspension the float can always rest horizontally on the surface of the water, no matter how the lever 6 has been bent. The lever as stated, is pliable and may be bent initially so as to adjust the parts to a pan of any depth. For a very shallow pan the float lever would be straightened; for a very deep pan it would be bent or bowed down so as to allow the float to engage the water. In the illustration (Fig. 1) when the water reaches the level W the float will have risen to cause the short arm of the lever to depress the stud 8 and ring the bell. This is a signal to the housekeeper who thereupon may empty the pan. It will be seen that the device is securely anchored to the pan wall by the resilient clasp-jaws or members 1, 2, 2.

Having described my invention what I claim is 1. An alarm attachment for drip -pans comprising a member adapted to be secured to the wall of the pan, a flexible and pliable float lever hinged to said member and having a long arm to reach into the pan, a float loosely suspended from said long arm, an outer short arm, an alarm device positioned to engage the short lever arm for an oscillation of the float lever in one direction.

2. In combination with a drip-pan having a bounding wall, a clasp having members spanning the wall, the outer member terminating in a lip or flange engaging the outer face of the wall below the upper edge thereof, the upper end of the clasp body being recessed centrally, a hinge pin mounted across the recess, a flexible and pliable float-lever hinged about the bin and operating through the recess, the lever having a long arm extending into the pan, and a short arm extending out of the pan, a loosely suspended float depending from the free end of the long lever-arm, a bell secured on the outside of the pan to one of the clasp members, and a member on the bell adapted to be engaged by the short lever arm with an upward oscillation of thelong arm, for sounding an alarm.

In testimony whereof Iaffix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

JULIUS T. WANIGER.

Witnesses: I

' EMIL STAREK,

T. EVANS;

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C. 

